Mannequin
by chenzel-is-life
Summary: 2 different one-shots.
1. Mannequin

**Author's Note: **This takes place during "Minimal Loss", on the plane. For now this is just a one-shot but if you guys want me to continue it, then I will. The song is Mannequin by Katy Perry. Enjoy, and please review!

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_How do I get closer to you_

_When you keep it all on mute_

_How will I know_

_The right way to love you_

She tried desperately to talk to him. Not even anything important. Just small talk. Why was he so quiet all of the sudden? Normally, he wouldn't stop talking. Why here? Why now, after she had just realized that she might have feelings for him. She had never thought of him as more than a friend, a co-worker, no less. But this case had sparked something new, something special. Something that could end up turning out really, really great. This one case had uncovered a chemistry between them that she had no idea was ever there to begin with.

_Usually the queen of figuring out_

_Breaking down a man_

_Is no workout_

_But I have no clue_

_How to get through to you_

Neutral. He was totally and completely neutral, and it was driving her absolutely crazy. There was just something so complex about him, and she couldn't figure it out. She could get into the brain of virtually any man – or person, for that matter – except for his. She couldn't figure him out, and she had no idea why.

_Oh, I wanna hit you just to see if you cry_

_I keep knocking on wood_

_Hoping there's a real boy inside..._

It seemed as if he was suddenly emotionless. Why couldn't he see that she was trying so hard to make an effort? She wanted to get to know him. She wanted to be closer as friends with him – and maybe even something more.

'_Cause you're not a man_

_You're just a mannequin_

_I wish you could feel_

_That my love is real_

_But you're not a man_

Somehow, he was acting as if the person on the outside was not the same person on the inside. She knew – and still hoped – that there was more to him, then just this quiet boy who mostly liked to read books. She could feel it in her heart, that she was starting to feel a bit more than friendship for her co-worker. She just wished that he could feel it, too.

_I wish I could just turn you on_

_Put a battery in and make you talk_

_Even pull a string, for you to say anything_

Reid felt guilty about what Cyrus had done to her. She had told him that it wasn't his fault; but he hadn't said anything. And when she said that she would do it again, she wasn't lying. She did care about Reid very much, and would do anything to protect him – even if that meant risking her own life. She felt anger towards Cyrus for the awkwardness that he had created between them. Although, in truth, she knew that what he had done had made them closer in hindsight.

_But with you there is no guarantee_

_Oh, the expired warranty_

_A bunch of broken parts_

_And I can't seem to find your heart_

She wanted – so badly – just to get through to him. She knew that deep down; he could tell that she was trying. But why wasn't he showing it? Emily Prentiss was not one who usually pried with men's feelings. But if she could just get him to open up to her, she could decide whether or not it was best to stay near him, or walk away.

_Oh, I'm such a fool, I'm such a fool, I'm such a fool_

_This one's out of my hands_

_I can't put you back together again_

Was this her fault? Was it because she had hugged him earlier? Or touched his hand? Had he gotten the wrong idea too quickly? Was he scared? Or even nervous? Questions flew through her mind. Her stomach became uneasy with worry, wondering what was wrong – and if she had caused this.

'_Cause you're not a man_

_You're just a mannequin_

_I wish you could feel_

_That my love is real _

_But you're not a man_

_You're just a toy_

_Could you ever be a real, real boy?_

_And understand_

_But you're not a man_

If this was just typical Reid being shy around women, would he ever grow out of it? Would he learn how to loosen up? She wondered, and sighed; frustrated.

_If the past is the problem_

_Then our future could solve 'em, baby_

_I could bring you to life_

_If you love me inside, baby_

_It'll hurt but in the end_

_You'll be a man_

Maybe he had had a bad experience with women in the past. She knew that he had lived through a rough childhood, and maybe he was afraid to let anyone in. But she would show him otherwise. She would make him see that there were other people in this world who loved him. On that note, she decided to try and fall asleep. It had been a long three days, and she was just getting even more exhausted from trying to deal with Reid. She closed her eyes and tried to think of other things as she drifted off to sleep.

'_Cause you're not a man_

_You're just a mannequin_

_I wish you could feel _

_That my love is real, oh_

_Toy, could you ever be a real, real boy?_

_And understand_

_But you're not a man_

_You're not a man_

_You're just a mannequin_

_I wish you could feel _

_That my love is real_

_But you're not a man_


	2. Misguided Ghosts

_**A/N: **__Hello everyone! I honestly could not come up with any ideas for a sequel to Mannequin, so I've just decided to make this a series of one-shots, mostly songfics probably. I really enjoyed writing this one. The song at the beginning is Misguided Ghosts by Paramore, it's one of my favourite songs by them. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this one! Thanks so much for reading/reviewing. _

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_1, 2, 3, 4_

_I'm going away for a while _

_But I'll be back_

_Don't try and follow me_

'_Cause I'll return as soon as possible_

She hated leaving. She hated the whole situation. She hated not being able to tell the truth, and not being able to continue living her life the way it was. That was all she wanted - to be normal again. _It will happen_, she told herself repeatedly. Doyle would be caught eventually. And then she could go back home. _But who knows how long that could take... _she thought at the back of her mind.

_You see I'm trying to find my place _

_But it might not be here where I feel safe_

_We all learn to make mistakes_

_And run from them, from them_

_With no direction_

_We'll run from them, from them_

_With no conviction_

She didn't want to run away. This was her home – it was her friends, her family, her job. It was where she felt safe. But she didn't have a choice. Because this time, she might actually get killed if she didn't do something about it. It was a mistake to have kept her situation from the team – but she didn't want any of them to be in danger. They were practically the only people in her life that were important to her. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything happened to one of them and it had been her fault. But she could hardly bear doing this, even though she knew she had to.

'_Cause I'm just one of those ghosts_

_Travelling endlessly_

_Don't need no roads_

_In fact, they follow me_

_And we just go in circles_

_Well now I'm told that this is life_

_And pain is just a simple compromise_

_So we can get what we want out of it_

_Would someone care to classify_

_Of broken hearts and twisted minds_

_So I can find someone to rely on_

_And run to them, to them_

_Full speed ahead_

Emily could not get used to the fact that what she was doing was for the best. It just wasn't right. She didn't feel comfortable hurting her friends – who had become like family to her – just to protect herself. Other than Hotch and JJ, they all thought she was dead. She felt a sudden rush of guilt. _How could I do this to them... _She just wished that she could go back and tell them all the truth. But she couldn't. As she continued driving to the airport, she thought of Reid. Secretly, she missed him the most. She smiled sadly as she remembered all the time they had spent together. Her heart ached as she realized that she would not see him again for a long time. _I should have told him... _she thought. She had always had feelings for Reid, but she had never admitted them. And now it was too late.

_Oh you are not useless_

_We are just misguided ghosts_

_Travelling endlessly_

_The ones we trusted the most_

_Pushed us far away_

_And there's no one road_

_We should not be the same_

_But I'm just a ghost_

_And still they echo me_

_They echo me in circles..._

As images filled her mind from past experiences, she began to feel overwhelmed with guilt, nervousness, and regret. She started to feel nauseated, and she couldn't think straight. Unable to function properly, she pulled her car over to the side of the highway. She gripped the steering wheel tightly as she tried to clear her head. All she wanted was to go home. She leaned back in her seat and cried tears of frustration. _What have I gotten myself into_, she thought. Her life was a mess. For a split second, she imagined what might happen if she were to turn around right now. She found herself torn between her heart and her mind. If she were to continue driving, it would tear her up inside. But if she turned around, she would be risking not only her own life, but the lives of the people around her, just for her selfish comfort. _But I can't do this... _she couldn't do it. Not without him.

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She knew that this was a stupid decision. Possibly the stupidest she'd ever made. But once again, it was a feud between her heart and her mind. She should have listened to her mind. But she had realized that the mind cannot function without the heart. So she had taken the next exit and turned around. And now, her heart was leading her to a place that she knew her mind would regret taking her.

XXXXX

She arrived at her destination feeling panicked and nervous. This _was _a stupid decision. What if he wasn't home? What if someone else was there with him? What if he thought she was a ghost? No. She had made her final decision, and she was _not _turning around again.

She walked into the small building and up a few flights of stairs, and she then found herself standing at his door. She took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing... _she thought, and she rang the doorbell.

Spencer Reid got up from his laptop and walked over to the door. He looked through the peephole, and stepped back slowly. No, it couldn't be her... Impossible. He must seeing things. He looked again, but he saw the same person. _This can't be right, _he thought. Emily was supposed to be dead... Wasn't she? Hesitantly, he unlocked the door, and opened it slowly.

It was her.

Still sceptical, he blinked a couple times, and then rubbed his eyes. But she was still there, standing in his doorway.

"Emily...?" he barely whispered.

"It's me," she whispered back, trying to hold back her tears. He took a step closer. Hesitantly, he reached out to touch her face. It was the same Emily he knew and loved. She looked like she had been crying.

"It really is you..." he said in awe. Suddenly, Emily found herself wrapped tightly in his embrace.

"I missed you so much," he whispered.

"I missed you, too," she pulled away so that she could look at him.

"Reid, I am so sorry," she cried. "I should have just told you the truth in the beginning..."

"Why don't you uh, come and sit down first," he led her over to his living room couch, still slightly in shock.

"Do you want a coffee?" he asked her as he walked into his tiny kitchen.

"Uhh..." she could certainly use one. "Sure."

"One milk and two sugars, right?"

She grinned. "Yup," she was surprised that he remembered what she took in her coffee, until she realized that he had an eidetic memory. Reid came back with two mugs, and handed her one.

"Thanks," she said before taking a sip. He studied her. It had not been long since her 'funeral', but it had felt longer than that to him. Much longer. He didn't know why she was back, or how long she was staying, or if she had even left at all – he was just glad that she was there, with him. He was glad that she was even alive!

"Emily, first, I want you to tell me one thing."

"What?"

"Are you actually here? With me? Or am I just imagining things?" he paused. "Am I dreaming?"

She smiled. She had missed him a lot more than she realized. "No, I'm here. And you're not dreaming."

"So you were never... dead?"

She shook her head. "I survived... but Doyle got away. I had to – well, I was _supposed _to go under witness protection. JJ helped me with that."

"JJ knows you're alive?"

She nodded. "And Hotch."

He looked slightly confused for a moment, but then brushed it off. "And you said you were _supposed _to go under witness protection?"

She looked away from him and bit her lip. "I was supposed to leave tonight. I was driving to the airport and I just... I just couldn't do it." Her eyes were filled with tears.

"I felt so guilty. I felt frustrated. I know I should have told one of you about this a long time ago, but I didn't want to put any of you in danger. You guys are my family, I would be destroyed if anything happened to you... But then everything got so much worse, and I didn't know what else to do..." a tear slid down her face.

"And now everything's just a huge mess. I swear to God, lying to you guys was the worst thing I've ever done. I feel terrible about it. I was supposed to just go away for a while, until they caught Doyle... but I had to make everything so much more complicated. And I... I couldn't leave without telling you first."

"Telling me what?"

"Something I should have told you a long time ago..." she looked up at him, and stared into his eyes. He waited silently.

"I-I'm in love with you."

Before she could say anything else, Reid had pressed his mouth against hers. At first she was shocked, then she realized what was happening, and she kissed him back. They broke away for a moment; both of them were out of breath. They just stared at each other. Emily felt her heart sink in her chest. There was no way she could pull herself away from him now.

Overwhelmed, she collapsed into his arms. "Reid, what am I going to do now," she nearly sobbed. "How am I supposed to protect myself from Doyle if I can't be without you?"

"I'll go with you."

She pulled back slightly so that she could look at him. "No," she shook her head. "You have a life here. I'm not going to take that away from you."

"Emily, my life is with you," he said. "When you were gone... I felt like my life had been taken from me. You make me feel alive... Nothing else can make me feel the way I do when I'm with you. I've always loved you, Emily. I don't want to be without you ever again."

Unable to say a word, Emily embraced him fiercely and buried her face in his chest.

"I am so, so sorry," she looked into his eyes. "I will never leave you, ever."

"I don't need an apology. You being here with me is more than I could ever ask for."

Emily leaned in to kiss him slowly. "I love you. But I need you to promise me one thing."

"What?"

"That you'll never let me run away from you ever again. I tried, but... it didn't work out very well."

He smiled. "I promise."

**THE END**


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